Prep Rally

Indiana hometown of one Little League World Series squad steps up to help Ugandan team, too

Each year, the Little League World Series captures the attention of baseball nostalgia aficionados around the country and completely enlivens a handful of communities around the world from where the competing teams hail. Yet in 2012 one Indiana town did that sense of community ownership one better, cheering on its own Little League all-stars and essentially adopting the first African squad at the event, as well.

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Uganda pitcher Felix Enzama during the 2012 Little League World Series — Associated Press

As first reported by the Indianapolis Star, the small city of New Castle, Ind., is home to the Midwestern Little League representatives at the 2012 Little League World Series, but it also stepped forward to help outfit Team Uganda, a group of 15 players from Lugazi, Uganda, which became the first team from Africa to qualify for the event.

"We really just like to do it for the youth," Pam Barber Brake, the owner of the shop which made the customized Uganda shirts, told the Star. "If kids need something we're going to help them. It doesn't matter whether they are from here or Uganda or China. It doesn't really matter. They are just kids."

"Being here is a great opportunity for baseball in Uganda," manager Henry Odong told the Harrisburg Patriot-News. "We already are champions. We hustled all the way to get here, we are extremely happy. We are winners.

"This is Africa glory. This is a message to Uganda, the rest of Africa, and the Middle East. It is high time for us to get here and win!"